Afropop Worldwide

Adrien Kazigira, the gifted Rwandan poet, musician and primary songwriter for Kinyarwanda-language trio the Good Ones, brings us some sobering news; his 11-year-old daughter Marie-Claire is suffering from a dangerous brain and eye tumor. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IL5AWBbcTzI A shy girl and a good student, Marie-Claire lost her mother, Eudia, to an illness in 2011. She has had a tumor, which covers most of her left eye, since birth, but a recent cancer diagnosis shows that it is far more deadly than earlier believed. The tumor continues to grow, threatening her sight, and even her life. The $13,800 surgery that Marie-Claire requires is far over budget for Kazigira’s family, who live on a small rural farm with no electricity, running water or health insurance. To save young Marie-Claire’s life, surgeons at King Faisal Hospital in Kigali will need to perform two operations: one to remove the tumor, and the other to repair or remove her eye. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8iKTMKLejCA Ian Brennan, the man behind the Grammy-nominated Zomba Prison Project, has started a GoFundMe page to raise funds for Marie-Claire’s surgery. The campaign has raised over $1,000 so far, but the family will need 13 times that amount to pay for Marie-Claire’s operations. You can read more about Kazigira and his daughter’s story, and donate to this worthy cause here.